The spread of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) based Dispersed Generation (DG) and of Electrical Vehicles (EVs) charging stations in the power systems, is in progress, due to environmental issues and the presence of massive economic incentives and the development of technology. The presence of these actors in a distribution grid makes it active and flexible. In this framework, considering also the evolution of electricity markets, new issues related to the management and operation of the electrical power systems are rising up. In particular, coordination actions between the Transmission System Operators (TSOs) and the Distribution System Operators (DSOs) are becoming mandatory for guaranteeing the right operation of the whole power system. In particular, a more direct involvement of DSO in the so-said ancillary services market has to be hypnotized, under different schemes of coordination with the TSO. The project deals with new management and operation proposals, tested through simulation models. Object of the research will be the analysis of the potential resources that a DSO can have in its own power systems for giving a contribution in more general grid services, even respecting internal operation constraints.
The key stages of the research activity will be:
- to do a complete analysis of the actual architectures and schemes of active distribution grids, also in terms of automation and control technique for the operation in normal and emergency conditions;
- to propose new management and operation approaches, implementable by a DSO, based on the optimization of the DG, flexible loads (e.g. EV charging systems) and ESSs;
- to implement models, in an appropriate simulation software (e.g. MatLab), for the analysis of the benefits that the proposed operation and management approaches from the point of view of DSO and of the TSO;
- to apply the models to case studies of active distribution grids.
In respect to the potential to achieve an advancement of knowledge in relation to stat of art, the innovativeness of the research is linked to the proposal of new management and operation approaches for distribution grids (in presence of RES-based Dispersed Generation, EVs charging stations, large and small flexible prosumers and Energy Storage Systems ), tudied and formulated, in function of promising scenarios of evolution of actual standards and regulation policies (under review at National and European level).
So the research results will allow:
- to have a complete critical analysis of the actual architectures and schemes of active distribution grids, also in terms of control
technique for the operation in normal and emergency conditions;
- to have a tool for the analysis of distribution grids (in presence of RES-based Dispersed Generation, EVs charging stations, large and small flexible prosumers and Energy Storage Systems ), linked to the new operation and management models.
- to have some preliminary results for checking the applicability of the proposed models to real systems.